


7 Times Kotetsu Helped his Friends During a Rough Time...

by HaloRocks1214



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Biphobia, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Self-Esteem Issues, Sexism, Transphobia, idk if theres anything else i can tag so let me know if you spot something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-26 03:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20037499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaloRocks1214/pseuds/HaloRocks1214
Summary: ... and one time they returned the favor.AKA Kotetsu is a sweet man who handles all of his problems by straight-up ignoring them and his friends realize that he shouldn't do that anymore.





	7 Times Kotetsu Helped his Friends During a Rough Time...

1.

Ivan is aware that his hobby for passing the time isn't what you'd first expect, at least, that's if you didn't know him.

Okay, maybe the actual hobby isn't that weird, but where he likes to do it is what makes people tilt their head.

Sometimes when he gets bored, he'll pick up a dozen or so papers, as well as one of his many paperweights (cause lord knows he won't make the same mistake twice: he spent who knows how many hours picking up all the scattered papers), head to his favorite spot in the park to plop himself down, fold some intricate shapes and get lost in his thoughts. Sometimes he even leaves the paper creations for people to find to cheer them up during a gloomy day. It's very cathartic for whenever he feels lost or overwhelmed, however, today it isn't working as well as it usually does.

Whenever he comes here he usually creates a wide variety of origami shapes, ranging from elegant flowers to fierce animals, but right now he's looking at the sixth swan he's made in a row. 

Letting out a large groan, Ivan dramatically fell over onto his back while putting his left arm over his eyes. Letting out a deep sigh, he rolled his right arm right onto his paper pile, consecutively pushing the paperweight off the pile without realizing it. Tomorrow is Edward's birthday, and while the guy may be in jail, Ivan doesn't want that to affect anything about the day in question (well, except for the fact that they'll be hanging out in jail, but Ivan digresses). Moving the arm over his eyes to his mouth to be able to stare at the sky, he flashes back to one birthday he fondly remembers.

_The only thing Ivan could do was stare down at the tiny figurine in his hands. It wasn't anything special, really: an inch and a half tall golden swan with some silver patches where gems used to be. The remaining gems are all either red or blue, except for its eyes, which are a noticeable purple. Oh, and it had a tiny <s>tangled knot</s> ribbon taped to the back of its head._

_"Uh, Edward, what's this for?" Questioned Ivan._

_Edward blinked in shock, "Well, it's your birthday, isn't it? Sorry for the low-quality gift, I only found out about the meaning of today's date two hours ago."_

_Now it was Ivan's turn to blink, "Well, yeah. I didn't want you to know. I didn't really want anyone to know. I don't see the merit in celebrating."_

_"Dude, seriously?" Remarked Edward, "If it weren't for today, not only would I have never met you, neither would have the world, and that's something at least worth acknowledging."_

_The only thing Ivan could do in response was let out a soft 'oh' and look back and the semi-deformed statue with a new meaning._

_"Thanks, then, for thinking about me, I guess. I've always needed a paperweight, I just never had time to go get one."_

_"It's no problem. However, I'll only call it even if you tell me what your favorite place to eat at is."_

Speaking of the object in question, Ivan turned his head to look at it.

However, instead of looking at it on a stack of papers like it should be, he got to watch it finish rolling down the hill he just pushed it onto. While it's a good thing it stopped rolling, he noticed what made it stop was even worse. He just had to pick the hill next to the river, didn't he? Not caring about the half-a-dozen swans or leftover paper he'll have to clean up, he started to chase it down a considerably quick current.

After chasing it for about 15 seconds, he noticed up ahead the small lake that the stream flows into. 'Crap, if I don't catch up I'll never be able to get it back!' Before he could think of anything else, he noticed a familiar tannish looking man crouching near the river edge sifting through the water. Realizing he has no time to reach the object, he decides to screw dignity and shout for help.

"Kotetsu! Help me!"

Looking up quickly, Kotetsu noticed Ivan running, but squinted his eyes at the apparent lack of danger. Ivan responded by swiftly pointing down at the shiny object flowing toward Kotetsu. Dawning a face of realization, Kotetsu looked around, but then quickly looked back at the river shrugging. Before Ivan could suggest an idea, Kotetsu was already halfway in the river getting ready to grab the paperweight.

Ivan will be the first to admit: he has been caught off guard, and quite literally, too, he nearly tripped into the river himself. While regaining his breath, Kotetsu waddled out of the river to stand in front of Ivan.

"If I'm not mistaken, I believe this is the object you wanted me to reel in?" Teased Kotetsu, slightly shaking the tiny swan. Ivan could only blink in the same manner he did all those years ago.

"Well- I mean- yes, but," stuttered Ivan (due to lack of breath or the scene that unfolded in front of him, he will never know), "you didn't have to do that! Not for some random object you didn't even know existed til now!"

Kotetsu could only raise his eyebrow, "Uh, kid, you were sprinting a marathon and screaming like three murderers were behind you. I'm no Sherlock, but I can tell this 'object' is rather important."

Ivan could see where he was coming from but continued to object, "Well, yeah... but... still. Ruining your clothes? For some misshapen bird I could have gotten at the dollar store?"

Kotetsu sighed of annoyance, but Ivan could feel it was not mean-spirited, "Ivan, don't worry about it. I know far too well what kind of meaning a 'random object' can have to a person, believe me." Kotetsu readjusted his hat and put his hands in his pockets, looking dejectedly down at the river, "Besides, not like I was making progress on the thing I was doing." Before Ivan could question anything about that statement further, Kotetsu continued, "Hey, tell you what? Tell me the story behind that object someday and I might just find it in myself to figure ya, eh?"

All Ivan could do was grip the swan a little tighter and look down at the object. Still looking at it, Ivan grinned and let out a measly, "Okay. Yeah, that sounds good." Kotetsu smiled at the response. Before leaving, Kotetsu temporarily took his right hand back out of his pocket to ruffle Ivan's hair before walking away.

Ivan continued to look at the 'object' in his hand for quite some time, only to eventually be blinded by another shiny thing sitting in the water, currently reflecting the sunset. Rubbing his eyes, Ivan crouched down to get a better look at the blinding object, only to find a simple ring to be the offender. Picking it up, Ivan wondered why there was a ring in the first place, only for his mind to make a mental rewind to the scene that only occurred five minutes ago.

_he noticed a familiar tannish looking man crouching near the river edge sifting through the water_

_"I know far too well what kind of meaning a 'random object' can have to a person, believe me"_

_"Besides, not like I was making progress on the thing I was doing."_

Ivan uttered a noise of comprehension, followed by looking around trying to find his friend, only to see that he was nowhere in sight. Putting it in his pocket, he made a note to himself to give Kotetsu the ring back at some point.

But first, he had a birthday to prepare for.

\--

"Happy birthday buddy."

"Aww, c'mon man. You didn't have to do this."

"Really? Weren't you the one who droned on about 'not getting to meet-'."

"Okay, okay, I know what I said... Oh, you kept this thing?"

"Yup, sorry for the low-quality gift, I wasn't sure what to get you."

"It's fine... it's just- it's great even! I just... why did you keep it? After everything, I mean"

"Well... I guess some objects just have a deeper meaning than most people realize..."

2.

Although she may have regretted it for a short period, Karina has always enjoyed being a hero, and not just because she finally got to sing in front of a crowd. She's been able to save countless lives, meet so many new people, and she's also been able to make some of the closest friends she's ever had.

Of course, that doesn't mean she has it 100% perfect. No matter what job you take in life, there is always one common factor among all of them: critics. That's not to say criticism is inherently bad, in fact, it's one of the many reasons she got so far in the first place, but every once in a blue moon, Karina will come across those special few that never seem to be happy with whatever she does. Frankly, she usually blocks them out, but this time...

**LESS PERFORMANCES. LESS PIZAZ. BLUE ROSE PETERED OUT??**

Leaning back in her chair, Karina can't help but rub the bridge of her nose and roughly close the lid of her computer. This person has been going on for _weeks_ about this topic, and it is starting to get _draining_. Nevermind the fact the Karina busted her wrist and was given leave, nope! It's just that she's lazy and she doesn't really care anymore.

Deeply sighing, Karina stood up and grabbed her bag. Awhile back her mom asked her if she could run some errands. Karina figures now would be the best time to do it.

\---

'Alright, I've gotten everything except that special bread she wanted, let's hurry and wrap this up.'

Pulling up to the cafe, she got out of her car and walked in. She asked exactly what her mom wanted and went to sit down. Turns out they're out of that kind, but give them a few minutes and they'll be ready to go! Sighing again, Karina pulled out her phone and started to scroll mindlessly. Halfway through a post about the polar ice caps, she heard someone talking up quite a storm... 

Wait, it's about her?!

"If you compare this performance to this one she did two years ago, you can definitely see a difference in form and style," explained the random man. Karina was contempt to ignore him, but not after hearing three to four other voices quietly talk amongst themselves in question, possibly seeing a point in his reasoning. Shaking her head, Karina decided that it would be best to ignore them as well, but once again, she should just stop thinking about it altogether, as the man _continued_ to point out flaws.

"As well as here; look closely and you'll see that she trips, thus canceling out whatever original move she wanted to do," more voices chime in at the point. Karina is shocked she hasn't snapped her phone in two from how tightly she was gripping it, but alas, murder isn't on her mom's shopping list. Once again, Karina goes back to scrolling.

"Don't even get me started on all the concerts that have been canceled this year! It's almost as if she doesn't care about her fans or future anymore!"

'Alright, THAT'S IT,' Rushing to stand, Karina was about to verbally object to this man, but all of a sudden a man wearing a vest and green shirt popped into her booth.

"Hey, do you mind if I sit here?" Smirked Kotetsu, unrolling the newspaper he had in his hands, "I'm afraid all the other seats are taken in this establishment." Looking around, Karina noticed that the place was practically barren of any living being, but before she could object, Kotetsu started up again, "Great! Thanks again, you won't even know I'm here." Karina only got more confused as Kotetsu made the shushing motion of putting your finger over your mouth as he sat down. Karina followed his motion of sitting down, only getting more confused when Kotetsu opened up the newspaper and started to read.

Before Karina could ask 'what the hell', Kotetsu started aimlessly talking, "Did you see the fall Blue Rose took two weeks ago? Man, even _I_ flinched watching it happen."

... She was officially speechless, but... so was the critic and his posse of mindless followers. It seems <s>the seven people</s> everyone in the cafe was listening to what Kotetsu had to say.

Kotetsu turned a page in his paper, "I mean, all of her weight? On one wrist? Poor girl, goddamn, I'm shocked she was able to finish the job after a fall like that. She had to be in agony."

Karina heard the zombies behind her whisper again, "but it didn-" 

"She even went on to perform the day after! Guess she's willing to do anything to keep her fans happy. I got wind of a rumor that she didn't actually want a break," bold-faced lie, she was ecstatic that she got time off, but she let him continue, "the only reason she stopped was because if she continued to put pressure on it, chances were she wouldn't be able to use it ever again, and even then- and _even then,_ she still wanted to perform and keep her fans happy."

Kotetsu then quickly changed demeanor in his voice to convey a different tone, catching everyone off guard, including Karina, who was already incredibly shocked as it was, "But, I don't know why ya know? With fans like these, I wouldn't blame her for canceling concerts like that. If I were in her place, the amount of negativity I receive would practically kill my motivation to continue as well." Kotetsu flipped another page.

"... That rumor, the one you mentioned earlier, do you know if it's been confirmed?" Karina decided to play along, after hearing the posse get louder with intrigue.

"Ah, not yet," cautioned Kotetsu, "but from what I've seen of her, " Kotetsu looked up from the paper he was reading and grinned, "I believe it wholeheartedly." Karina could only stare in awe as Kotetsu stood up, set his open paper on the table and winked at her. While the group behind her dispersed in agreement to Kotetsu, leaving the critic behind in their process, Kotetsu just continued up his charade of not knowing her, "Welp! Thanks for sharing your booth with this old man, but I gotta skedaddle. See ya!"

Karina watched with newfound admiration as Kotetsu left out the clear doors of the establishment. The only thing that brought her out of the trance was the cashier saying her name, letting her know her order was ready. She went and paid the person, but quickly ran back to the booth after forgetting her phone. Speed walking back, she saw the booth was the same way it was before she went to pay. Grabbing her phone, she saw out of the corner of her eye the article Kotetsu was reading.

**WILD TIGER SWIFTLY SQUASHES PARKING LOT: SPONSORS SAY SORRY**

All Karina could do was make a gasp signaling some kind of emotion she couldn't quite explain. Didn’t Kotetsu save, like, a dozen people in the process of that though? Turning her phone to sleep mode, she started walking home.

\---

After handing everything to her mom to handle, she went back up to her room. Sitting at her desk, she opened her laptop. Noticing the critic's blog still open, she goes to close it, but not after reading the most recent title and clicking.

**BLUE ROSE GRACIOUSLY GIVES HER ALL:**

**It has recently come to my attention that I may have been a little harsh against our beloved Ice Queen.**

**While I know it may not be enough, I would like to offer my condolences and partially explain my actions:**

**I, like many others, deeply adore Blue Rose and what she brings to the world of music.**

****Great job of showing it then...****

**So, when I heard that she would be off the radar due to confidential reasons, I slightly overreacted.**

**Continuing the trend of her disappearance, the concerts she had planned in the next 5 weeks were canceled, pushing me over the edge.**

**I thought if I were to be hard on her, it would push her back into the spotlight bigger than ever before (a ridiculous notion, I get that now).**

**However, today I eavesdropped on a conversation saying that if she didn't take this break, she might have never performed again.**

**In fact, in my overactive panic, it never occurred to me she might've just injured herself, especially since she went on to perform the next day.**

****... Oh?****

**So, here I am, realizing the consequences of my actions.**

**In my adoration, I forgot one key factor: these people are also human, regardless of your misinterpretations.**

**And while it's an unlikely chance The Star herself would ever read this, I still need to say it.**

**I'm sorry, you do so much for us all that we tend to forget that one of the only reasons you can is that you receive undying support from those around you.**

****Karina could only continue reading.****

**Once that starts to leave, people like you start to leave, and we don't realize that until you are actually gone.**

**So, for the rest of my time on this Earth, I will only give my love and support to artists all around, to make sure that they can keep going the way they always do.**

**(Of course, with the occasional dash of my criticism thrown in: even if they are as great as I say they are, they still need help from time to time~)**

Karina closed her laptop again. That was... something. To think, that came from him listening to a 30-second one-sided conversation (_and it was Kotetsu's doing too!_). It was... interesting, to say the least.

Karina opened her laptop to do one last thing before heading to bed. Clicking the like button on the post, she closed the website and shut off her laptop. Getting dressed in her night gear, she told herself that she needed to thank Kotetsu for what he did, even if the results of his actions were minuscule in theory.

Her wrist never hurt that bad in the first place, but, after today, it almost felt as if she never got hurt at all.

3.

_"Thanks! And Thanks Again!"_

"Well done, Sky High," complimented the Sponsor, pausing the recording, "your performance tonight was one of your greatest!"

"Oh, it was nothing I couldn't handle sir!" Replied Keith, "I only hope to improve as I move towards a brighter future!"

"That's the spirit! Now head on home and get some sleep," the Sponsor insisted, "you're gonna need it after today."

Sky High waved goodbye and flew off to go change into proper clothes. While he was heading out of the locker room, he momentarily stopped himself to go say goodbye to the others. The only two he could find, however, was Origami Cyclone and Blue Rose, who seemed to be scheming some kind of plan.

"Hey you two," said Keith, "I just came to say; good job tonight, you both did really well."

"Oh, thanks," commented Ivan, "I was gonna say the same to you, but I got kinda sidetracked with Blue Rose about something."

"Really? What is it that you two found to be so interesting?" Intrigued Keith, remembering the secretive position he saw them when he first entered.

Before Ivan could say, Karina answered, "It's just an observation both Cyclone and I made about something, that's all. Hey, I want to congratulate you as well, you really did kill out there tonight."

"Oh, well thank you, both of you," acknowledged Keith. He sighed deeply, which turned into a yawn the moment he opened his mouth, "well I probably should head back. Gotta make sure my barren, empty house isn't in complete and total disarray, right?"

"Mmhm." 

"Oh, yeah, see ya."

Keith raised his eyebrow but decided not to question. He was on his way to a nice comfy bed and sweet, blissful eight hours of sleep, and he didn't want to wait for a second longer.

\---

Keith's house was in complete and total disarray when he got home. 

The door was wide open (practically off the hinges too), many things were knocked over and/or broken, not to mention all the stuff that was missing, but there was one thing that Keith noticed was missing the most. Pulling out his phone to dial the authorities, he dashed all over his house trying to find one thing but failing every time.

"Hello? Yes, my name is Keith Goodman, someone broke into my house and stole a good portion of my belongings. Not only that, I can't find my dog anywhere! Please, I need your help to find him. He's a Golden Retriever/Golden Lab Mix and- oh, yes, my address, it's..."

\---

After being questioned and relocated to a safe place, all Keith could think about was John, especially considering the one thing that could've been used to recognize him was out of the equation. Why? Because the only thing they allowed Keith to keep (besides some clothes) was the collar of his dog he found on the kitchen floor...

\--

"What has been happening, Sky High!?" Chided his Sponsor, "Just a week ago you were doing the best every day! Now you're lucky to be able to catch one crook!"

Sighing dejectedly, Keith figured it was better to be honest in this situation, "I'm sorry, sir. Last week at my house someone-"

"Really? You're letting your personal life affect your hero work?" Chastised the Sponsor even more, "you know that's unprofessional- hey, wait! Get back here!"

Before his Sponsor could yell at him more, Keith flew away to get ready to go home (which, for the past week, has been a run-down motel), fully aware of what the consequences of his actions will bring in the future. While part of the reason was that he didn't want to get yelled at any longer, it was mostly because he actually kind of agreed with his Sponsor. He was doing fine the first couple of days back, but all of a sudden he just... stopped. Kept making mistakes, kept letting his mind drift while chasing someone, he didn't get why it's all of a sudden affecting him now. 

A couple of self-deprecating thoughts later, Keith was sitting in the main area of their changing place. Before he could blink, he saw one white-haired anime fan and one dirty blonde singer appear in front of him with looks of concern. 

"Hey, is everything all right?" Probed Ivan, but Karina continued for him.

"Yeah, this new low you're in is probably the lowest I've seen you, did anything specific happen?"

"Oh, well you see..." droned Keith. Looking at them again, he realized he wouldn't be able to fib his way out of this. Letting out an elongated sigh, he told them the truth, "a week ago my house was broken into," the younger heroes could only gasp at the revelation, "and yeah, sure, I miss my material items, and the place the authorities put me it isn't the best, but the thing that really gets me down is that... my dog, John is his name, disappeared because of the situation. All that was left was his collar"

"That's terrible!" Exclaimed Karina, "What does he look like?"

"Well, he's fairly simple," explained Keith, "he's a golden retriever/golden lab mix, and he's slightly bigger than what you would expect of that kind of breed."

Both heroes were listening contently, and once Keith finished, they both shook their heads.

"Alright, I guess this just means we'll help look for it!"

"Karina is right, we'll do everything we can to ensure John's safe return."

Keith was flabbergasted, but not too unfazed, "Thank you guys, for the sentiment, I mean, but it's been an entire week. If John hasn't shown up now, I don't think he will... ever." Standing up to leave, Keith rubs his neck, "I suppose if you do somehow spot him, let me know, I'd forever be in your debt if you do." Keith pats both Karina and Ivan on their shoulders before walking out of the room, leaving the two to ponder in silence.

\---

Instead of going straight to the motel, Keith decided to go for a run, but halfway through, Keith had to stop. It was just too _quiet_ without John. Sighing, Keith supposes it's better than his naked motel room, considering he at least has something to focus on if he was running.

Sitting down at the all too familiar bench, Keith leaned back and stared at the star-filled sky, wondering how in the world his life could go so quickly down the drain. Amid his brooding, he starts to feel his phone ring. Keith contemplates whether or not he feels like answering. Giving up, Keith reaches for the phone in his pocket, but not before he hears an all too familiar noise getting louder.

'No, it couldn't be... is it really?' Looking down from the sky, Keith lets out a big gasp at the sight before him. Keith got off the bench to kneel on the ground, and before he could utter one syllable, he's rammed into by nearly 130 pounds of fur and slobbered on. Crying and laughing, all Keith could do was pet and rub all over his found dog.

"Hey! Calm down dog! What are you doing to him?!"

Keith _was_ going to say something in regards to John's return, but he'd rather say one different name due to the circumstances that just unfolded before him.

"Kotetsu?”

Watching the older man run up to them, Keith was even more surprised when he saw John jump off him to go similarly greet Kotetsu, albeit, slightly calmer. 

"Hey, easy, easy!" Kotetsu proclaimed, petting John in all of his favorite spots (how did he know that?), "Heh, sorry Keith, this dog seems to run after whoever it wants sometimes."

Standing up and rubbing down his shorts, Keith explained, "Don't worry about it, I'm grateful, you see, cause 'this dog' is actually mine. He disappeared a week ago and I never could find him."

After a few more seconds of Kotetsu patting John on the head, Keith could practically see his friend jump out of his pants and go, "Wait, really?! Shit man, I'm sorry, if I'd known-"

"Hey, it's okay," affirmed Keith, "John seems to like you, so it's not like you were treating him wrong or anything. Also, it seems like you're the reason he came back in the first place."

"So John is his name..." mused Kotetsu, putting his hand on his chin. After a bit, Kotetsu threw his hands in the air and stretched, "Well, I guess since John is back home I should be heading that way for myself. Thanks for letting me get to know your dog, even if it was indirectly by your side of the story."

Kotetsu turned around and started to walk away, but Keith wanted to ask one more thing, "Hey, Kotetsu?!" When the other man's head turned around, Keith continued, "Do you mind telling me the story of how you found John? Just so I can get some closure?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," complied Kotetsu, "Here, can I have your phone?" Keith was surprised by the response but still obliged, even unlocking it so the 40-year-old man could do what he wanted. After a minute of Kotetsu typing on Keith's device, Kotetsu handed it back to the blonde man and said, "There you go! That's my phone number and address. Let me know when you're coming by so I can leave the door unlocked for you."

Putting the phone in his hand and waving Keith off, Kotetsu walked away and finally went back home. Keith stood there momentarily shocked, but in the end went to look at his phone, only to noticed he had a voicemail. Clicking, he was even more shocked to hear what it had to say.

_"I'm calling for Keith Goodman. Whenever you hear this, please come down to the station as soon as possible. The criminals who invaded your home have been reprimanded."_

\---

To be honest, Keith wasn't sure what to expect about Kotetsu's living space. Oh, there's nothing _wrong_ with it per se, it just wasn't what he would have expected from what he thinks a guy like Kotetsu would live in (thankfully they allowed pets).

_"The criminals' names are Kain Ward and Virgil Ward. One seems to be a NEXT and the other just wanted a share of the money."_

When he got to the place, he noticed the door was unlocked like Kotetsu said it would be and went to sit down. Before that, he went and placed a six-pack on the counter (Keith doesn't drink unless it's a special occasion, but he feels he can make an exception). Sitting down on the couch, he listened to the environment. He could hear Kotetsu singing <s>badly</s> in the shower. 'Huh, guess he didn't realize I would come as fast as I did...' Listening some more, Keith subconsciously came to a conclusion.

... It's really fucking quiet. Like, the only noises Keith could make out were Kotetsu in the shower and the jingling of John's collar. The silence is worse than the silence in his rundown crappy motel (and that silence was _really bad_). Keith looked around some more, eventually having his eyes land on a portrait of a woman with long hair. 'Didn't Kotetsu mention something about a wife...' Hearing the water-based contraption shut off, Keith turned his head to watch Kotetsu walk out onto the rafting to lean on the guardrail.

After a few seconds, Kotetsu looked down. Nearly jumping out of his towel, Kotetsu apologized, "Keith! Ah, jeez, I should've waited," before Keith could object, Kotetsu ran back to his room, "Give me a few minutes! I'll be there in a sec!"

_"They were reprimanded by Wild Tiger. He claims he saw them being sneaky. He was going to follow them, but got stopped by one thing in particular."_

Watching Kotetsu flee, Keith shook his head and went back to scouting out the area. Other than the occasional garbage here and there, it was a pretty standard apartment. Keith couldn't see anything that caught his eye (except the framed portrait, nothing was special, but Keith felt it was more important than it let on).

... But that silence... how does Kotetsu not go crazy...

_"You mentioned your dog went missing? Well, it also seems Wild Tiger was able to find him too, in fact, that's what stopped the hero from following them immediately. He says he took the dog to a vet and nurtured it before chasing after the crooks."_

"Alrighty," Kotetsu all of a sudden appeared in his peripheral vision with the six-pack in hand, "Thanks for the beer, man, you didn't have to."

Blinking out of his flashback, Keith watched John leap into Kotetsu's lap, "Oh, it's no big deal, really. It's the least I could do after everything you've done for me."

Kotetsu gave a thumbs up (as well as he could with a semi-beast in his lap), "Hey, no need to thank me, it's our job, isn't it? Now, what's the first thing you would like to ask about?"

"Were you really the one to bring in the robbers that invaded my home?"

Kotetsu raised an eyebrow, "Oh, so that explains that," seeing Keith's confusion, Kotetsu explained, "I originally saw them sneaking around an alley. I was gonna get them right then and there, but I heard a yelp and found John. So, I went against my better judgment as a hero and brought John to a nearby vet. The biggest injury he had was a large cut on his back leg, which, I'm sure you've noticed by now."

Keith nodded his head but ended up asking another question, "Yeah, but if you lost the crooks how did you find them again?"

"Well, the story is actually kind of funny," chuckled Kotetsu, "ya see, it was the first day I could take John outside after his injury, so we just went for a simple walk. However, there was a bird John found really interesting for some reason, so he ended up barking at it. Next thing I knew, two guys 10 feet away are practically shitting their pants and downright sprinting out of the park," Keith snickered, "I know, right? So I donned my mask and followed them. What's even funnier is that when I started fighting them, one of them got taken down by buddy boy John over here, doing half of the work, even though I _insisted_ he stay _behind_ for it." John licked Kotetsu's face

Softly chuckling, Keith was astounded, "Wow, that's... pretty insane. Thank you, Kotetsu, for everything, again. If it weren't for you my life could have gone down the drain, quite literally."

"Huh, how so?"

"I don't suppose you've been seeing my performance lately, have you?"

"Oh, so that’s the reason?" Queried Kotetsu. Seeing Keith's forlorn face, Kotetsu quickly changed his attitude, "Ah, I didn't mean it like that! I mean- so what if you have a few crappy days, you've been doing your best to save people, right? Besides, your best friend and companion went missing, hell, you thought he was dead! I think that's enough qualification for a temporary pity party. If the same thing happened to me I probably would react the same way, but... I wouldn't try to let it affect me forever, at least, not in theory. If you were to truly lose something, I don't think it would want you to give up, whether said thing was a person, pet, or personified object you made up in your head." Keith found himself snickering again but stopping when he saw Kotetsu look at the random portrait Keith pointed out when first coming here.

... Huh, thinking about it, Keith never thought about it that way. Before being able to thank Kotetsu again, the man continued, "And, frankly... I feel I should be thanking you, actually. It was nice to finally have someone else around here to come home to." Before Kotetsu (or Keith) could say anything further, their wrists felt an all too familiar vibration.

Looking at each other, they both left the <s>silent</s> apartment, leaving the still unopened six-pack to keep doing what they know best.

\---

"Here he comes! King of the Skies himself: Sky High! After a seemingly low point, he's back on top with everyone else!"

"It was no problem to serve this wonderful city's citizens! Thanks! And Thanks Again!"

"Before, you leave, we would all like to ask a question: what exactly happened? Why this flux of performance?"

"Well, it's simple. Something personal had recently occurred to me and I was letting it consume everything I did. While I was luckily able to fix everything and go back to normal, a close friend of mine had informed me of some wisdom: If you were to lose something personal, it's okay. It's okay to feel sad, angry, or even shock over something like this, but at the end of the day, you should always remember the _happy_ things it brought you, instead of focusing on the _final_ things. Believe me, when I say, you'll feel much better."

"You heard it yourself, folks! Such wondrous words from the Champion of Heroes himself! Give it up for Sky High!"

4.

Huang Pao-Lin didn’t care what others thought of her.

She wanted to dress however she wanted, and no one would stop her. Her parents sometimes didn’t get it, but they knew she was happy, and they weren’t going to do anything to intentionally make her unhappy. In fact, as a gift, they gave her a gift card to her favorite shop! Today she didn’t have anything to do, so she was ready to spend it all there.

She was browsing the pants section. There was a wonderful section of shorts and other running pants and she just couldn’t make up her mind. She had about three different ones in her hands that she was going to go try on when a group of boys came up from the side and shoved her out of the way, causing her to drop the pants in her arms.

She stumbled a few feet. Looking back at the group, they were standing where she was, conversing as if nothing happened. As if they didn’t just rudely shove her like nothing. They even picked up the stuff she wanted to get, “Hey! Who do you think you guys are?!”

They ignored her and kept talking between themselves.

She was getting angry, “Hey! I said-” She placed a hand on one of their shoulders, to which they responded by finally looking at her. They didn’t look too happy.

“What do you want, sissie? This is normal guy clothes, not whatever homo shit you have going on here.”

Wait, they thought she was a guy? Weird, “Well, it’s a good thing I’m not a guy then. And those pants you’re holding are the ones I was going to _buy,_ so I’d appreciate it if you’d give them back.”

The three boys looked at one another before laughing, “Oh man, this was worse than what we thought. Listen,” the one she had her hand on gripped her wrist, “In case you didn’t notice, this is a _guy_ shop. Not for you. Got it?”

She tried shaking out of his hold, “_In case you didn’t notice,_ this is _my_ life! You don't have the authority to tell me not to live it.”

The guy just chuckled like she said some cheap joke, “You’re right. I can’t tell you not to, but I certainly can tell you you’re doing it wrong. Go back to mommy and daddy, sweetheart, I’m sure they’re missing their lost child.”

With a flick, he let go and she stumbled back. She wanted to keep fighting, but seeing as they weren’t budging and that her card wasn’t going to expire soon, she gave up. She didn’t want to deal with this today. Walking away, a miracle happened.

“Hey!”

The boys gasped as they looked behind her. She wasn’t sure what was happening until one of the other two yelled out, “Oh my gosh, it’s Wild Tiger!”

Turning around, Pao-Lin’s eyes did indeed land on her friend. He didn’t seem to be too happy. He slowly strutted up to the group of people and stood next to her, “What seems to be the problem here?”

One of the boys started speaking, “Well, this little girl here thought-”

Kotetsu’s glare stopped them cold, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I was asking any of you, was I?”

The boys gulped in fear. Huang felt no sympathy for them. When she looked up at Kotetsu’s face, she saw nothing but a warm smile directed her way, “Well… I was minding my own business shopping for new pants when all of a sudden, these guys came out of nowhere and shoved me out of the way! Now, they won’t let me shop, nor will they give me back the stuff I was holding.” She pointed at the stuff in their hands.

Kotetsu looked at where she was pointing. He calmly but coldly held up his arms (bags were hanging off his elbows), “May we have those back, gentlemen?”

Oh man, they were practically shaking now. The guy holding her stuff slowly handed it to Kotetsu. The leader of them quietly spoke up, “But- but she's-”

“She’s what?” Kotetsu asked carefully, “A girl? Well, I’m glad you all have working eyes.”

Pao-Lin giggled at their fear, “They actually thought I was a boy at first, so that might not even be true.” Kotetsu handed her the pants from his hands.

Kotetsu raised his eyebrows before making a movement with them that spoke, ‘yeah, that’s fair.’ He looked back at the boys before coldly speaking, “Now then, I’m only going to say this once: you three have five minutes to leave and find your parents. I’m sure they’re missing their lost child.”

Kotetsu smugly raised an eyebrow while grinning. The boys were too fearful of their lives to care. They slowly but surely sauntered out of the store, leaving the person at the front desk to be confused at their postures. It took all of Huang’s power to not burst out laughing.

Kotetsu sighed, “Jeez, people nowadays… Hey, you okay?”

Pao-Lin blinked before realizing that concern was for her, “Oh, yeah! I’m good, thank you, Kotetsu.”

He sighed again, but this time in relief. He rubbed the back of his neck, “That’s good…” He then stood in silence, seeming lost at what to say. She was going to ask what’s wrong before he answered her anyway, “It’s just… don’t let those people get to you, alright? You’re living your best life, and they don’t have any room to say that’s wrong.”

She blinked at her friend's words, “Oh, don’t worry, I don’t let it get to me. They were just being stupid and I was too tired to kick their butts. I also didn’t want to stain the walls of this place. It’s my favorite shop you know.”

Kotetsu laughed at that. He took his hand away from his neck so both of his could go in his pockets, “Well, I’m glad to hear that. Hey, in case you were wondering, these bags on my arms are stuff for my daughter. I want to get something for her from here, but I’m not very familiar with it. Since you know so much, can you lead the way?”

Pao-Lin nodded her head enthusiastically and did just that. He was trying to find a nice winter coat for her. Once they got to the jacket section, Pao-Lin gave a brief explanation of what each rack had in both positives and negatives. Kotetsu listened intently as he looked all of the coats over with a hand on his chin. Once Huang was done, he thanked her as she walked away. The last thing they did was wave goodbye to each other.

She paid for her stuff and walked outside. On the bench outside was her parents waiting for her. As they stood and walked alongside her on the way home, they asked her if she got everything she needed. She answered with a smile.

“Yup! I even got a little bit more than I was expecting!”

\---

She was on her daily jog through the city. Around this time it wasn’t as crowded, and she finally wasn’t interrupted by the local villain of the day. She was taking a momentary break to grab some coffee. She was leaning up against the brick wall outside in the cafe area when she heard two voices come from about a couple dozen feet away.

“Come on, dad! Look at this one! I definitely want this one!”

“You said that for the last couple of things, sweetie.”

“But this time is different, I swear!”

“If you say so. Let’s check it out.”

She wasn’t too familiar with the girl’s voice, but the man that accompanied her was someone Pao-Lin would forever remember. She looked over to her left to see Kotetsu and a girl eyeing up some stalls of random knick-knacks. Didn’t Kotetsu mention something about a daughter? Well, whatever it is, Kotetsu seemed to be enjoying every bit of it. Doting on the girl like she was the light of his life. 

From the way he talked about her, that statement is probably true.

The sight put a smile on Pao-Lin’s face. Kotetsu could do that a lot it seems; put smiles on faces by just being himself. After a little bit, she watched as Kotetsu eventually noticed her and waved in her direction. Smiling back, she waved at him as well. He eventually needed to look away to see what his daughter wanted now. It was a stuffed bunny, and Huang wondered if there was hidden meaning behind that toy with the way Kotetsu’s face tensed in annoyance.

She giggled at their antics for quite a bit. Pao-Lin was going to keep watching, but voices from three women at the cafe caught her attention. She wishes they didn’t, though, since the things they were saying were just awful.

“Oh, that poor girl. That man is putting her hands all over her.”

“Should we call something? I’m worried about what happens in private with them.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. One day, that man is going to reap what he sows.”

Pao-Lin couldn’t believe it! That was his _daughter!_ There’s nothing wrong with a parent showing affection. Why were they assuming such awful things?! Was it because he was old? Or maybe because she didn’t look like his child?

Well, whatever it was, Pao-Lin didn’t like it one bit. She was about to give those ladies a piece of her mind when the shop called out her name. Her coffee was done. Too bad it didn’t sound so good anymore. She swiftly paid them. If her stomps as she walked away were a little louder right next to the awful ladies, then only she knew why.

She eventually made it home. She slammed the front door shut, quickly walked upstairs, then slammed her room door shut. She placed her coffee down on a table and started pacing. Oh, people like those women make her so angry! Ugh, at the very least they keep those awful assumptions to themselves! Imagine if he heard that stuff! Imagine if his _daughter_ did!

Then she remembered those boys at the store, who had no problems walking up to her and straight-up harassing her away. Did… were there people who did that to Kotetsu? People who see an old man doing things like that and preventing him from stuff because he’s ‘living his life wrong’? At the end of the day, those boys that harassed her were older teens at best, the ones making rude comments to Kotetsu were _adults…_

Now that his identity is out, it’s probably gotten worse...

Well, dwelling on this stuff with no way to get answers is not the way she wanted to spend her day, plus, cold coffee isn’t very good. Taking a deep breath, she took her cup and sat down. As she slowly nursed her order and scrolled through social media on her computer, she made plans on what to do if she were ever with Kotetsu when it happened.

It’s what he would do for her after all.

5.

Now there have been the occasional bouts of insecurity here and there, but at the end of the day, Nathan would consider themselves a pretty confident person. Always taking the 'who cares what people think when I'm rocking these heels down the street feeling AND looking fabulous'. They don't care, and neither does the public. Most of the time the worst stance they take on Nathan’s flamboyant nature' is apathy, which is fine by everyone involved.

But, of course, there's the occasional asshole that likes to pop up here and now. You know; the ones who hate every fiber of Nathan’s being for just being the way they are for any number of reasons that they don’t care to point out right now. While Nathan does a good job of avoiding those people, they can't always outrun them.

Nathan was walking back from a photoshoot at night. The route they were taking was actually rather safe; all their life they have never heard of a single robbery or murder taking place on this street. Then again, loud-mouth, drunk idiots tend to be a first for everything.

Nathan had taken about 17 steps into the familiar path when they heard large crashes coming from behind them. Sighing in annoyance, they turned around to meet three thugs holding bottles. Correction: three _very drunk_ thugs holding _glass_ bottles. Nathan felt another sigh coming fast.

The first thug spoke. Slurred just about every one of his words, “Hheeeyyyy, yoouuuu! Weeeee don’t aappreecciiiaaatee yoouuurrr kiiiinnnd arroouuunndd hhheeerreee yyoooouuu _qquuueeeerrr._”

Nathan would laugh if it weren’t so pathetic, “Well, it’s a good thing that I don’t want to be here for long, then. If you’ll excuse me.”

Right as Nathan turned around, it was either the second or third thug that yelled out after him, “Yeeaaaah! Kkeeeeeppp ruuunnnnniiiing yoooouuu fuuuccckkkiiinng _fffaaaggoooott._”

Nathan considered themselves a patient person. They want to keep it that way. They kept walking.

The last thug who hadn’t spoken yet scoffed, “Whatever, leeeeettssss gooo beeaat soomeoooonee eeelse uppp.”

Well, threats against Nathan are handleable. Threats against innocent civilians just won’t do. Turning around at the speed of lightning, Nathan pounced.

The brawl that broke out was laughable. Nathan considered using his NEXT abilities, but even if these guys were the scum of the earth, Nathan doesn’t want them to be utterly destroyed. Nope, Nathan kept it to punches and kicks. The first two went down easily, and right as Nathan stood up straight to look for the third one, Nathan registered a fist that they wouldn’t be able to block.

Shoot. Here they were hoping to get out of this fight with no scratches whatsoever. At least this will only leave a small bruise.

Right before Nathan could be struck, though, a savior came to their rescue. A tan fist came out of (literal) left field and knocked the thug out cold. He even went flying a couple of feet before landing. Nathan looked over to see who the hand belonged to and gasped, “Kotetsu?”

Kotetsu shook his hand and grimaced, “Yeesh, I see what they mean by having a hard head now. You okay?”

Nathan rubbed the front of their clothes, clearing off the dust and dirt, “Yes, thanks to you.” 

Kotetsu just chuckled, “No problem. To be honest, though, that was impressive; handling insults like that so calmly and still kicking their ass in the end. You are one fabulous fashionista in my eyes.”

Nathan smiled at the compliment. Kotetsu was truly one of a kind. They then sighed and looked at their friend seriously, “You know, there was no need to step in for my sake.”

Kotetsu waved Nathan off while putting a hand on the back of his neck, “Hey, it’s no biggie. If you were any other citizen I would’ve done the same,” he put his hands in his pockets awkwardly and looked around before figuring out what to say, “Hey, I know you can handle yourself, but for the sake of this old man’s concern, can I walk you home?”

Nathan smiled again, “Of course, darling.”

The two talked about inconsequential things the entire walk. They mainly talked about their weeks, even complaining about certain parts. They also told horrible jokes that they would only giggle at tonight. Once Nathan took a step into their apartment building, they leaned out the doorway once more, “Goodnight, Kotetsu. Please, never change for me.”

Kotetsu widened his eyes momentarily before going back to his calm look, “No problem, Nathan. We should hang out more often.” They both waved goodbye. Nathan shut the door and Kotetsu continued walking down the street. As Nathan got ready for bed, they thought about what wonderful friends they’ve been able to make.

Nathan went to sleep peacefully that night.

\---

This is the life.

Nathan was currently resting at home, spa mask over their face with scented candles lit up all over the room. They were in their favorite robe, kicking back on the couch and drinking their favorite tea. You can never go wrong with this tea.

With cucumber slices over their eyes, they practically drifted off into sleep with the TV playing quietly in the background. However, right as they began to lightly snore, voices started speaking on the channel that Nathan left on. Grumbling slightly, they peeled off one cucumber and looked toward the TV. A “very important” interview had randomly started, and any other time Nathan would have just changed the channel. Taking off the other cucumber slice, Nathan sat straight up and kept their full attention on the television.

Kotetsu was being interviewed. Barnaby sat right next to him, silently.

“Is it true that you were married to a woman before all of this?”

Nathan noticed how Barnaby made a very well hidden flinch. Kotetsu tightly smiled, “Well, yes, and while I don’t think any relationship will be exactly like the one I had with my wife, that doesn’t make my relationship with my partner right now any less. However, like all relationships, while this one might be different, it’s still_special;_ special in its own way”

Nathan watched as the interviewer struggle to understand, “So you decided to become gay?”

Barnaby pulled out his phone. Kotetsu lost a little of his smile, but he made it hard to notice, “I don’t think you understand. I’m bisexual. I like both men and women equally.”

The interviewer jotted some things down on their notepad, “I see… but wouldn’t it be easier to just choose one?”

Barnaby stood up abruptly, “I think we’re done here-”

Nathan turned off the TV in exasperation. Rubbing their temples, they leaned back and let out a long-drawn-out sigh. People these days. They just can’t take an answer for what it is sometimes. Well, Nathan highly doubts they’ll be able to go to sleep now. Their tea is also cold now too! Shaking their head, Nathan stood up, took the tea set to the kitchen and placed the kettle on the stove once more.

Standing there, Nathan thought deeply. Poor Kotetsu, there will always be people who just don’t seem to get it. Granted, the interviewer seemed to just be confused and lost. That person will probably understand in due time. Other people, like the ones Nathan met in the alleyway, however, are much more irritating (and potentially deadly) to deal with and talk to. Hopefully, Kotetsu doesn’t have to deal with them too much himself now.

Nathan should send their condolences to the man. It appears the two of them have one more, unfortunate, thing in common.

6.

Despite the persona he puts off, Antonio knows when and where to behave over-the-top or obnoxiously.

**“Rock Bison hits rock bottom once again!”**

That didn’t mean he knew when and where to behave _stupidly._ Right now, he was piss drunk, and the TV in the background wasn’t doing his mental state any favors. Not only did he botch a rescue (thank God those people didn’t die because of his mess up), he caused a crap ton of damage that would have to be paid off again. He sometimes wonders why his sponsors stay with him in the end.

“Hey, buddy, we’re going to close soon. Do you need me to call someone?”

Snapping out of his pity party, Antonio looked up into the eyes of a guy holding a broom. He must be in charge of the place tonight. At least the kid offered to help him, “Uh, no. Thanks for the offer, but I’m good. I don’t live that far.”

The guy with a broom didn’t really believe him, but he didn’t have time to argue, “Alright then…”

The next thing Antonio knew was that he staggered down the street and caused anyone in front of him to move out of his way. Great, not only did he feel like shit, he’s acting like a piece of one too! Part of him wishes there was somebody else there to be with him, even though he was being a dumbass. Maybe he wouldn’t have gotten drunk if he just had someone to hang out with tonight.

But another darker part of him is aware of how he presents himself. He’s not saying everybody hates him, but he is aware of the fact that the others have people they would prefer to hang out with over him. Which was fine; he obviously wasn’t going to be everybody’s favorite, and he knows if he asked people would make time for him, but part of him thinks he doesn’t dese-

“Wha- holy shit, Antonio? Are you drunk?”

Maybe his wish would be granted. Looking up from the ground, his eyes landed on his best friend: Kotetsu. The tannish man just had his eyebrows raised in concern. Stepping forward a few steps, Kotetsu placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders, “C’ mon, dude, let’s get you home.”

Before Antonio could protest, an arm draped over his shoulder and guided his directions. Wow, how much _did_ he drink? One second he was out on the cold street, the next he was in front of the door to his living quarters. Kotetsu had a key for the place, so he just stood obediently while Kotetsu kept everything under control. Next thing he knew, his shoes were off and he was being shoved onto his bed without his jacket either.

Then, he had a splitting headache. Ow, ow, ow. Right, there’s a reason why he hates drinking so much now. Getting out of bed and into his living room area, he widened his eyes at what he spotted. Kotetsu was simply sitting on the couch, watching TV and probably waiting for Antonio to wake up.

He was. He clicked off the TV, “Oh, hey! Glad to see you’re awake, dude. How’s Headache Haven going for you right now?”

Rubbing his temples, Antonio sat down on the other side of the couch to his friend, “I suppose I’ve had worse. But why are you still here? You didn’t have to take care of me you know. I ‘dug my own grave’ and all that jazz.”

Kotetsu grimaced, “Well, I was going to leave, actually, but then I realized that it’s been a while since you’ve done this. Wanna dump you’re current emotional crisis on me? Or do you just want a cup of water and silence for the next 48 hours?”

Thinking hard and hurting his head more, Antonio sighed. Even if he said no, Kotetsu would probably find a way to get out of it of him eventually, “I was thinking about some things. Things that pertain to my… personality, in a sense.”

Kotetsu leaned back and was all ears, “Oh? What do you mean by that?”

Antonio sighed and leaned back into the cushions, “Oh, I don’t know. It kind of dawned on me that I’m not anyone’s particular favorite, superhero or otherwise.”

Kotetsu had to blink a few times, “I’m sorry, what? Could you elaborate on that?”

Antonio thinned his lips. He’s seeing that what he thought was a little bit unfounded, “It’s just… I’m loud. Obnoxious. I’m the bottom of the leaderboard every time. I get why people wouldn’t, er, prefer me? In a sense? I know it was just a fleeting moment, but at the time it kinda just hit me hard.”

Looking up at his friend, Antonio slightly jumped at what he saw. Kotetsu was just staring at him. Clearly, he was horribly confused. Quickly, the man took a deep breath, “Okay, you know what? I see how you could think that way.”

Antonio slightly shook his head in shock. Where was Kotetsu going with this?

Kotetsu continued rapidly, “That came out wrong, sorry. I’m just saying that having low points in your life where you judge your worth is _normal._ As long as it’s not all the time? Yeah, it’s pretty common for those thoughts to happen, especially if you did something really dumb beforehand that caused your brain to go down that line of thought.”

Antonio slowly nodded his head to show that he understood. Not too much though, his head still hurt.

Kotetsu rubbed the back of his neck, “Second-guessing yourself can both be positive and negative. Sometimes you overreact, other times you change certain unfavorable parts about yourself. It can save relationships, but it can also end them. If they’re the right people, then your friends should help give that third-person point of view that helps you decide what action to take in the end. Like me: never get drunk like that again, dude. Not for your safety, but because you look really dumb when you’re that drunk.”

Antonio chuckled at that last sentence. Ah, so that’s where Kotetsu was going with this. He was going to thank Kotetsu for his advice, but the man had one last thing to say.

“Also, concerning that topic of ‘friends’...” Kotetsu looked at Antonio with the most serious look he could muster and kept his words to a minimum, grasping at the air in an attempt to squeeze something in comfort, “All I’m saying is that it can suck to feel alone, especially if you think nobody likes you, but you just gotta decide between ‘do they like me?’ or ‘are they busy?’ If they’re good friends, then it should be the latter. Once you’ve remembered that, then it hopefully won’t bother you anymore.”

Antonio felt a rush of emotions he couldn’t explain. Both of the men stood up and walked toward the exit. Antonio spoke during this, “Wow… that’s deep man. Where do you get these things from, fortune cookies?”

Kotetsu was grinning and out the door at this point, “Hey, what can I say? I did max out my Wisdom stats all the time back then, didn’t I?”

Antonio chuckled at that. Leaning in the doorway, an idea hit Antonio, “Hey! We should hang out sometime this week, just the two of us. Just like old times. Whaddya say?”

Kotetsu smiled. Antonio picked up on a hint of sadness behind it, but his hangover made him not ask about, “Ah, man, I’d love to! But I’m kind of packed this week. Besides, I’m sure you have more important things to do. Definitely in the future though. We still gotta figure out who’s stronger, you know.”

Antonio smiled through the headache, completely missing the fact that Kotetsu thought his week was going to be busy as well, “Yeah right. Like that’s going to be so hard to find out. We both know who’s the winner in the end.”

Kotetsu rolled his eyes, “Sure thing, pal. Catch ya later.”

Waving goodbye, Antonio shut his door and walked over to his bathroom. He needs some of the good painkillers right now.

\---

Walking down the street, Antonio was at ease.

He really didn’t do much better this week in the line of his hero work, but he didn’t completely fail either, so he considers it a win. Right now, he was just minding his own business, catching up on some much needed mindless (not drunk) walking when he heard something from across the street.

“I said to call me, dumbass.”

A hiccup indicating how drunk they were was heard from the ‘dumbass’, “Well, excuse me mister ‘I put my phone on silent despite the fact I would do anything to get out of this interview’, I’m sorry for being concerned about your image.”

Looking over, Antonio was surprised to see Barnaby and a very drunk Kotetsu. The two continued to bicker, not caring about anyone watching them and their lover’s quarrel.

Barnaby sighed, “You know I don’t care about that stuff anymore.”

Kotetsu got defensive, “Well, I do. I don’t want the vultures in the press to catch wind of Barnaby’s clingy boyfriend who couldn’t handle one night alone.”

Barnaby just sighed again but didn’t retaliate anymore. He saw what Kotetsu was arguing and slightly agreed with it, “Let’s just get home. Lord knows how your hangovers can be.”

Kotetsu was back to his mischevious drunk-self, “You still love me anyway, Bunny-Boo.”

Antonio could pick up a faint smile on the blonde’s face, “Yep, I still do.”

Antonio just watched with wide eyes as the couple walked around the corner and out of his sight. Kotetsu was alone tonight? But he told Antonio that his week was packed. Antonio certainly didn’t have anything to do, he absolutely would have been willing to drop a couple of hours to catch up with a friend. Then, he remembered what Kotetsu told him when he voiced his emotions.

_“It can suck to feel alone, especially if you think nobody likes you, but you just gotta decide between ‘do they like me?’ or ‘are they busy?’ If they’re good friends, then it should be the latter. Once you’ve remembered that, it hopefully won’t bother you anymore.”_

Did… did Kotetsu feel that way sometimes? Is that why he knew what to say to Antonio to get him to feel better? If that was the case, then Antonio’s night just got slightly awful. How could he miss such an important detail about his friend? He needs to go home and think about it more, and how to make it up to him.

Right as he continued walking, he had to stop once he saw that someone was in his way. It was Ivan, who seemed to be at a loss. The kid stared at him seriously, and before Antonio could ask what’s up, he found his words, “You’re… you’re Kotetsu’s best friend, right?”

Antonio blinked. He wasn’t expecting that question, “Uh, I guess you could say that?”

Ivan crossed his arms, “Then… could you help us out?”

Antonio blinked again, and this time, he looked behind Ivan to see Nathan and Huang also watching him. Antonio was going to ask what the hell was going on, but then he remembered the thought he had before getting interrupted. Oh, maybe that’s what this was about? Well, if he failed Kotetsu in that regard, maybe he could do something here.

Antonio got serious, “Sure, I can help. What do you need?”

7.

_It was very cold and dark. All he knew was that he needed to run. These people weren’t nice, _nobody_ was nice. They just wanted him to hurt and only kept him safe if they thought he was useful. Sprinting as hard as possible, hands reached from the darkness, trying to grab him. He shrugged them all off, vision on the light doorway up ahead. There; his escape._

_Right before he could step into it, a pair of arms caught him off guard and wrapped around him tightly, yanking him back. Back into the _cold_ and _dark._ He kicked his legs like a horse being tamed. No! He didn’t want to go back! He wasn’t going! Those people were mean! He won’t accept this anymore!_

_Tears leaking out of his eyes, he resorted to using his voice as loud as possible-_

Barnaby woke up screaming. He thought he opened his eyes but the place he was in was still dark. It was warm instead of cold, but still dark just like where he was. All he knew was that he had to get _away_ and be _free._ He wasn’t going to be their toy, their _weapon-_

“Hey, hey! Bunny! It’s okay! You’re safe-”

Arms wrapped around him, securing him in place. He had stopped screaming, but his breathing was still wild and hyper. He might pass out if he wasn’t careful. Shaking and wiggling as much as possible, he tried breaking out of his captor’s grasp. They might want to be careful, Barnaby was willing to do a lot to break free.

After a few minutes of gasping and fighting, Barnaby gained clarity. The arms that were holding him weren’t tight because they didn’t want him to leave, they were tight because they were worried he would hurt himself. They weren’t keeping him there because they wanted to trap him, but they wanted to _comfort_ him. Blinking a few times and slowing his breath, and because his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw the color of the arms: light tan.

Barnaby slowly leaned back into the hold, “Kotetsu…”

The man in question hummed, “Yup. You’re safe, dude. I got you.”

Taking deep breath after deep breath, Barnaby just closed his eyes once again. He was _safe._ He was at Kotetsu’s apartment, away from all the crazy and nonsense. His day had been great. It had been _normal._

Barnaby finally leaned out of Kotetsu’s hold, “Sorry about that…”

Kotetsu just raised an eyebrow, “What? Dude, you of all people should have the most right to wake up screaming. If you’re worried about the neighbors, screw them! They can see what you go through to keep them safe for all I care.”

Barnaby rubbed the bridge of his nose, “That’s not… you need sleep too, you know. It’s not fair to make you lose sleep over my problems-”

“Woah, calm down there partner,” Kotetsu waved a hand in front of Barnaby, shutting him up, “Taking care of you is apart of the ‘romantic partners’ quota, my guy. It’d be pretty shitty if I didn’t comfort you, especially after all of your trauma-inducing childhood and shit.”

Barnaby believes him, it just couldn’t get rid of the guilt completely, “But-”

Kotetsu sharply waved his hand in front of his face again, “Nope! No buts or ands or ifs about it. You’ve done the same for me, I’ll do the same for you.” Kotetsu dropped the hand he was waving around onto Barnaby’s shoulder, “I know it’ll be a while before you fully accept the help around you, your trauma is a bitch like that, but it’s not going to make me go away. I won’t be like the people in your past; I’m here for _you_ and you only. Nothing will change that, got it?”

Kotetsu’s face was extremely serious, yet totally comforting all the same. Not trusting his voice or words, Barnaby just slowly nodded his head, swallowing all the tedious emotions that threatened to spill out just then.

Kotetsu sighed and took his hand off his boyfriend’s shoulder, “Good. That’s what I thought, Bunny,” Kotetsu yawned and stretched his arms over his shoulders. Looking back at Barnaby, his look changed into a mischievous one, “Hey, now that we’re awake…”

They decided to just kiss in the end. The one they shared was short and sweet, encapsulating what made their relationship special in the crucial moments. Slipping back under the covers, Barnaby felt Kotetsu drape an arm around him gently, truly showing that he wouldn’t leave. Kotetsu _was_ going to be different: he was going to stay and keep him safe from everyone and anything that dared to try hurting him like that once more.

Barnaby slept with a smile. There were no more nightmares that night.

\---

“I’m back!”

Opening the door to Kotetsu’s apartment, Barnaby smelled dinner being cooked. Barnaby had to go out for a couple of days due to this special interview-bonus thing that he surprisingly enjoyed for once. It wasn’t groundbreaking, but it wasn’t his normal boring interviews either. He hung his jacket up on the hooks and walked further inside. Standing at the stove was Kotetsu, wearing his typical dumb apron that secretly made Barnaby smile. He went over to the table and sat down, watching his boyfriend.

Kotetsu was watching what he was cooking as he spoke, “Hey sweet cheeks, how was the expedition into the unknown?”

Barnaby rolled his eyes with a grin, “It was actually kind of fun. Don’t let them know I said that though.”

Kotetsu let out a quick and small laugh. He picked up the pot with their dinner using two cooking mitts and brought it over to the table, “Don't worry, honey-buns. Your secret is safe with me.”

Right as Kotetsu set the giant pot down on the table, that’s when Barnaby noticed.

There were deep, dark eyebags on Kotetsu’s face. They were the type that made you go, ‘Wow, how much sleep is that person getting?’ Barnaby wanted to ask that exact question, but he knew to keep it subtle around Kotetsu, “Hey, Kotetsu, is everything alright?”

Kotetsu raised his eyebrows as if the question Barnaby asked was really stupid, “Uh, yes? Why do you think it isn’t?”

Barnaby picked up his fork, “You look like you haven’t slept in a year. Anything happen while I was gone?”

Kotetsu sat down and took off his mitts, smiling throughout the entire process, “Oh, this is nothing. Just some silly dreams, nothing to worry about.”

Barnaby just raised an eyebrow, “Well, those must be pretty wild ‘dreams’ if they make you look like that. I said you could call me if you needed anything-”

Kotetsu just waved him off, “Don’t worry your little tail, Bunny. They weren’t that big of a deal. Besides, they won’t happen again for a while.”

Barnaby was getting annoyed, “But!-”

Kotetsu shhed him, “Hey! The dinner’s getting cold, let’s eat up, shall we? It’s Kaede’s recipe you know.”

They didn’t eat dinner in silence, but both of them could feel some awkwardness that would, unfortunately, dissipate by tomorrow due to Kotetsu’s insistence. Instead, Kotetsu listened intently as Barnaby retold the events of his trip, both positive and negative. He even jumped in a couple of times and told his stupid jokes that got Barnaby to laugh, but that still didn’t make him forget the important topic at hand.

When they went to bed, Barnaby made sure to snuggle a little closer to Kotetsu, even though the older man was right. No dreams or nightmares filled either of their heads. Still, that didn’t stop Barnaby from waking up in the middle of the night anyway. Instead of fear, it was worry and anxiety that kept him up. This time, he would make sure that Kotetsu didn’t wake up along with him.

Pulling out his phone and rubbing the bridge of his nose, Barnaby just didn’t get it sometimes. Kotetsu time and time again was selfless to the point of worry, but as soon as that concern was turned his way, he turned it down with a smile and a joke. He’s been through awful shit too! But Barnaby has no idea how to get through to him as he did to Barnaby. Scrolling mindlessly through his news feed, a text popped up on the top of the screen.

_**Karina:** Hey, we wanna do something for Kotetsu. U in?_

Well, just like Kotetsu told Barnaby, he’s not in this alone.

_**Barnaby:** I’m in. What do we need to do?_

+1.

Today has been a long ass day.

Scratch that, it has been a long ass _week._

Kotetsu would rather not think about it, so he doesn’t. He just got done with work today (which was a bigger pain than usual) and was planning on going home and passing the frick out. Halfway down one of his streets, he heard something. Standing on high alert, he listened closer and closer to try and figure out what was making the noise. Right before he could karate chop the nearest object, his mind picked up on the fact that the noises were made by a _barking dog._

At first, he thought he would need to deal with some kind of rabid stray, but the dog that turned the corner made him lose all of his fighting stance, “John?! What the-” He was then barreled into by the large Retriever. His face was licked all over with no sign of mercy being given, “Woah, woah boy! Calm down! What’s up with you, huh?... Wait, where’s your owner?”

Getting panicky at the last second, John calmed down and sat, allowing Kotetsu to see the piece of paper in between the collar and John’s body. Raising his eyebrows, Kotetsu pulled it out. He was very worried: was this some kind of ransom note? A picture of his friend’s dead body? Well, it was neither of those things, in fact, what Kotetsu read was just straight up confusing.

_Follow me, Kotetsu! Or don’t. IDK. You tend to do whatever you want in the end anyway._

Blinking a few times at the paper, John finally stood up on all fours and sprinted back the way he came. “H-hey! Wait up, boy!” Kotetsu ran after the dog. In his confusion and shock, it didn’t register to Kotetsu that John was literally just running back to his own apartment. Was John’s involvement really necessary? Well, probably not, but it didn’t hurt to have him there.

Once he got in front of the building, Kotetsu realized that fact. Panting from the jog he just took, he speed-walked the rest of the way to his apartment. John sat patiently next to him as they went up the elevator. With a few more steps, Kotetsu ended up in front of his _open_ apartment door. Well, that was never a good sign, was it? Petting John once more for good luck, Kotetsu slowly crept into his dark apartment.

Again, this night just keeps getting more confusing. Inside, the first thing he spotted was one of the tables that _usually_ sat next to his couch. Right in the middle was a paper swan, delicately folded and set down for all to see. Carefully approaching it, Kotetsu kept examining it even as he picked it up. Then, he felt something inside the paper. Unfolding the swan, he gasped at what he saw.

The object inside was none other than his _wedding ring._ He knows it’s his too. It was very hard for him to forget _his_ wedding ring, especially after everything. He shakily slid it back over his ring finger, feeling the weight of it once more. It might not have fixed his week entirely, but it made it just a little bit better. Looking back at the unfolded swan, he saw that there were words on it just like the note from John, who was still sitting obediently and happily next to him. This time, there were way more words, and each sentence was spelled out in different handwriting.

So either one person is very versatile, or a bunch of people wrote on it. But why?

_For such a helpful guy, you sure have a hard time handling it when it’s help for you instead._

_Why didn’t you just ask for help, darling? We would have come right away._

_You’ve made me feel so comfortable. It hurts when I can’t do the same for you._

_If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be a hero today. You mean so much to us, dude._

_Same as above. You’ve helped me out in so many ways, now let me help you._

_Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us! Please, let us return the favor._

_Look up and tell us if you still think that you don’t deserve what you give to us._

Snapping his head up like the note told him to, the lights turned on instantly, making him flinch and close his eyes for a moment. Reopening them, he let out a small gasp at the sight before him. On his kitchen counter was a generic, store-bought cake next to two different types of two-liter soda bottles and two six-packs of beer. But what caught his attention were the people in the room. Ivan, Karina, Keith, Huang, Nathan, Antonio, and Barnaby were all standing in his apartment with the most sincere looks they’ve ever had.

Kotetsu was still blinking in shock, “Uh, hi? There are much easier ways of giving me an intervention, you know. You didn’t have to make me think someone broke in…”

His speech was cut short when he looked at them closer. They were all staring at him as if he had been diagnosed with cancer or something. Before he could ask why, both Karina and Ivan shot out of the group and nearly toppled him over as John did earlier. They wrapped their arms around him and buried their faces into one of his shoulders. Meanwhile, John has strutted back over to Keith and was receiving a plethora of pets from his master.

Well, at least they’re not holding some kind of hand-made sign in the midst of all of this like a situation of this caliber normally would, “Okay… This is happening, I guess.”

Standing up from a stool in the kitchen, Barnaby spoke up, “We’ve noticed some things surrounding you Kotetsu. Those things make us… keenly aware of how you used to live, and how you still do now sometimes.”

Kotetsu was panicking. They weren’t going to leave him (right?), he knew that, “O-okay? Um, what did you notice, then?”

Ivan and Karina leaned out of his arms. Karina spoke first, “How people never see how dedicated you are.”

Ivan spoke afterward, “How much you’ve lost.”

Keith raised one hand in the air, “How unnaturally quiet your life has been.”

John barked in agreement.

Pao-Lin nodded, “How people unfairly judge you based on certain things.”

Nathan leaned closer to her, “In more ways than one.”

Antonio was just smiling, “How alone you must have felt all these years.”

Barnaby readjusted his glasses, “And how you think you don’t deserve the help around you, which is utter bullshit. If there’s anyone here who needs it, it’s you.”

Kotetsu’s eyes were wide. He was in disbelief at what he was hearing, “But-”

Barnaby waved his hand sharply to shut Kotetsu up. He still smiled at him anyway, “So let us help you, okay? And, as you said, we know it’ll take a while for you to completely accept the help since _trauma’s a bitch like that,_ but we’re not going to give up on you because of it. You didn’t give up on us, so we’re not going to give up on you. We’re going to be different.”

Looking around at all the people in his apartment-- that were there for _him--_ Kotetsu could only do the one thing he hasn’t allowed himself to do in a long time: cry. It wasn’t outright sobbing; he was too tired for that, but the tears that leaked out of his eyes created steady streams down his face that caught everyone in the room off guard. With his hand over his eyes wiping away the tears, Kotetsu felt a hand get placed on his shoulder. When he took away his hand to look at the person, he noticed it was Barnaby.

Barnaby had the most serious yet comforting look he’s ever had, “You okay, old man?”

Kotetsu just let out a wet laugh, “Well, I think we’re at the understanding that some things really aren’t, but right now? Yeah, I’m pretty solid. Besides, we have all night! Let’s put a pin in the crying fest for when the majority of us are all drunk. That’s the best time to get everything out, right?”

Everyone just stared at Kotetsu with wide eyes before Ivan broke the silence with the first laugh of the night. Soon after, the people around him slowly joined in the laughter before everyone, including Kotetsu, were smiling like crazy idiots. The next few hours consisted of bad karaoke and worse alcohol, dumb jokes and complaints about their jobs. It was as wild as they could make it without getting the police called on them.

And if no one cried in the end? Well, it didn’t matter. They had many years to work out their respective issues, and it wasn’t going to be that hard considering they all had each other. They were all idiots, but they were each other’s idiots, and despite everything, they wouldn’t trade each other even for the world.

Just because they built this family out of shitty circumstances, doesn’t mean it has to be _surrounded_ by shitty circumstances the entire time. 

Kotetsu was living proof of that fact alone.

**Author's Note:**

> THIS HAS BEEN A WIP FOR MAYBE ABOUT 2 YEARS NOW AND I'M SO HAPPY THAT ITS DONE AAAAAAAAAA
> 
> this anime is so good and i just wanted to give a simple love letter to it. thank you t&b for being awesome and amazing and ill sit patiently until i am given my season three :) hope everyone enjoys this as much as i do!
> 
> this is the longest thing ive written so i probably missed a couple of things so if you spot any glaring typos feel free to tell me! criticism is allowed as long as youre respectful about it~
> 
> If you wish to scream at me here's my [tumblr](https://halorocks1214.tumblr.com/)


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